A Rosy Picture

No doubt about it: Women’s racing is the story of early 21st century running. Actually, there are two stories: one, the rewriting of the record books at the head of the field; and two, the phenomenal growth of female participation in road racing.

It’s a rosy picture. The key for women runners, fans, coaches and organizers of the sport is to look carefully at what has contributed to the successes so we can extend them even further in the months and years to come. It’s also crucial to examine those areas where work remains, so the sport can shine brighter and the gains can make a positive difference in the lives of even more women.

Records Fall

Let’s take time to relish the most sparkling record-breaking women’s performances of the past several years. A full report isn’t possible here—there have been too many records, and more are likely to have occurred before you get this magazine—but the highlights include:

September-October 2001: The vaunted 2:20 barrier in the marathon finally falls, as Naoko Takahashi runs 2:19:46 at Berlin, only to be eclipsed by Catherine Ndereba’s 2:18:47 at Chicago a week later.

March 2002: Deena Drossin runs a world best 14:54 at the Carlsbad 5000.

May 2002: Drossin sets an American record of 30:50.32 for 10,000 meters.

July 2002: Pam Reed, age 41, is the overall winner of the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon in a course-record time of 27:56:47. Her nearest competitor, a man, is 4:42 back.

August 2002: Radcliffe just misses dipping under 30 minutes for 10,000 meters with her 30:01.09 European record.

September 2002: Lornah Kiplagat clocks 50:54 for a world best at 10 miles.

October 2002: Radcliffe again: 2:17:18 for a marathon world record in Chicago.

February 2003: ...and again: a 10K world best of 30:21 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

March 2003: Drossin runs an American-record of 47:15 for 15K, which is ranked as the second-best U.S. performance of all time, behind Joan Benoit Samuelson’s 2:21:21 national marathon record.

April 2003: In London, Radcliffe lowers the marathon world record again, to an incredible 2:15:25. Drossin gets the AR with a 2:21:16, breaking Samuelson’s 17-year-old mark.

Synergy of Effort

It’s been nearly 20 years since the last such spate of record-setting. The question is why now, why these women?

First, it’s significant that the record-setters are seasoned athletes whose trajectories to the top have been gradual and steady, the product of talent, drive and superior coaching and management. They have matured in an environment that takes it for granted that talented women can and will develop to the absolute best of their abilities.

Second, like the early-80s stars—Joan Benoit, Patti Catalano, Grete Waitz, Ingrid Kristiansen, Rosa Mota—today’s top runners have motivated one another with their successes. "I think if one can do it, then another one can do it," says Kiplagat of Radcliffe’s mind-boggling performance in London. "If she did it in the right way, then another human being can do it in the same way. If people see that you have to run 2:10 to win, then they will do their training in that way."

There’s also a "Bannister effect" at work in the marathon. As with the first sub-4:00 mile, once Takahashi broke 2:20, others immediately followed suit. Still others have moved tantalizingly close, simply because they see it can be done. It’s significant that Ndereba has now run three of her last four marathons in sub-2:20 times, and Radcliffe has never run slower than 2:18. Even prior to her breakthrough American record run (a personal best by over 5 1/2 minutes) Drossin stated publicly that sub-2:20 is her goal.

As for shorter distances, Radcliffe plans to take aim at the 5,000 meter world record of 14:28.09, and has intimated that a sub-30 minute 10,000 meters is also a near-term goal. Prediction formulas indicate that the 10,000-meter world record of 29:31.78, set by Wang Junxia 1993, is also within her grasp. The fact that she’d have to lop 30 seconds off her PR to better Wang’s time shouldn’t faze a woman capable of sub-5:10 pace for 26 miles.

Finally, as opportunities in running continue to broaden for women around the world, it is inevitable that the talent level will increase and the pool will deepen. Typically in 2003, the field of invited females at major road races is dominated by African, Asian and Eastern European athletes. Though many of these women continue to struggle against sexism and patriarchy in their home countries, the tide is turning and the critical mass of talented runners coming from formerly repressive nations grows ever larger.

The challenge, of course, is to keep the opportunities available for female runners. At the highest levels, opportunities in this country have increased in recent years thanks to efforts such as Running USA, which provides funding, training sites and other services for potential world-class athletes. Drossin, Elva Dryer and Jen Rhines are among the most prominent American women who have benefited from such support. But strong youth and grass roots programs are needed as well, because the sport is so developmental. Many girls who flourish as scholastic runners have trouble as their bodies mature; many suffer injury or burnout and may leave the sport altogether. Coaches, administrators and older runners need to encourage these girls and remain mindful of their long-term development.

In other countries as well, individuals and institutions need to systematically support developing female athletes. This isn’t always easy to do; it takes resources and sometimes a fundamental shift in societal values. At least two world-class athletes have made real commitments to developing young runners: Radcliffe donates a percentage of her income to developing young British female runners, and Kiplagat operates, at her own expense, the High Altitude Training Center in her native Kenya, which trains and develops teenage girls.

Strength in Numbers

Behind the front runners, female participation in road racing grows steadily and in some areas, exponentially. The number of women finishers is now often equal to or greater than that of men finishers in shorter events, such as 5K—something unheard of 20 years ago. Women made up an astonishing 40 percent of marathon finishers in 2002—the highest proportion ever. Female participants now exceed male participants at some venues. Significantly, more women than men have finished the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon’s last three editions (the totals were 9,199 women and 7,779 men in 2003). The 2002 New York City Marathon set a record for female participation with 10,209 women finishers.

Why are women’s road racing numbers increasing? In large part, it’s simply a continuation of the historical triumph of female sports participation set in motion by Title IX and changing social mores over 30 years ago. In North America and Europe, it’s expected that women and girls will have the choice of vigorous physical activity and sport. And like countless men before them, active women reap myriad benefits. "To go out and do a 12-mile training run, to enter a marathon—I can’t tell you all that means to me," says 30-year-old Jen Goralski, who took up running in 2001 and will run the ING New York City Marathon in November.

In other parts of the world, we see a growing acceptance of running for females. The Avon Global Running Series took road racing to 16 countries, staging events for thousand of women in each venue. Bangkok, Thailand hosted the 2002 Avon Global Championship last November. On a bright and sunny Sunday morning, more than 1,200 women ran through the streets of the capital—a remarkable sight in a South Asian country.

The ever-increasing number of all-women road races is also fueling the growth by creating more opportunities than ever before for women to begin racing. First-time racers—no matter what their fitness level or goals—need a lot of support and encouragement in a non-intimidating environment, and they get it in all-female events.

Separate and Equal?

The growth of female participation and the rising excellence of the top women raise two related issues that come up with any discussion of women’s racing today:

1) Separate women’s races/starts. For the first time in a major North American marathon, the 2002 New York City Marathon included a separate elite women’s start, 35 minutes before the rest of the field. This arrangement followed the lead of the London Marathon, which has had a separate women’s start (before the men) since 1991, and it gave the women in New York unprecedented media coverage and a clearer, cleaner competitive arena. It also offered them the opportunity to run under conditions like those at the Olympics and World Championships.

There are some downsides to such a set-up, though. For one, all-women races often end up being tactical (read: slow). Despite a stellar field and a female pacemaker, the pace dawdled and the winner, 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Joyce Chepchumba, ran 2:25:56. In contrast, at the 2002 Chicago Marathon, a mixed race, four women broke 2:22. In addition, some criticized the separate start as confusing to the general public and divisive for the sport. Finally, several women who fell off the lead pack complained that they ended up running 26.2 miles entirely on their own.

No such problems plagued London Marathon organizers this past April. Anticipating another world record performance by Radcliffe, they added several male pacemakers to the women’s field, effectively turning that contest into a mixed race (though the rest of the men, including the elite field, ran separately). They successfully petitioned the IAAF to ratify a women’s world record, the only stipulation being that the pacemakers had to aim to finish the race.

The tactic drew mixed reactions. Radcliffe, naturally, was pleased, commenting, "It is obviously very difficult to find pacemakers who can go fast enough for me so this arrangement will help me discover my true worth over the distance." Drossin maintained that pacemaking was inconsequential. "In the end it’s legs that do the running," she stated at a pre-race press conference. "The difference between men and women doesn’t matter." Ndereba, who ended up second in 2:19:55, criticized the decision, saying she’d chosen London specifically to gain experience running in an all-women field, and rejecting the offer of a pacemaker.

While Radcliffe’s performance could be taken as a strike against all-female racing, she stated afterward that her male pacemakers made virtually no difference in the outcome. New York will continue with its separate start this year, and certainly there are no plans to add pacemakers or mixed races to World Championship or Olympic contests.

It’s worth noting that previous world records by Tegla Loroupe were set with the assistance of male pacemakers, who also blocked the wind and handed her water. Some say the provision of pacemakers levels the playing field—men have them, after all, although male pacers are ostensibly entered into the same race and eligible to win, as they occasionally do. Others counter that paced women are afforded a crucial advantage in the race’s final miles, where record-setting men are forced to run solo. Clearly, the controversies surrounding the issue have yet to be resolved.

2) All-female road races. A generation ago, women’s races were a symbol that women’s running had arrived and that the numbers were there to support it. The first all-women road race, the 6-mile Crazylegs Mini Marathon in 1972, was a triumph with its 78 entrants.

Now that no one questions the validity of women’s running and racing, do we still need all-women races? On the one hand, some are wildly successful, such as the Race for the Cure series and the Freihofer’s Run for Women 5K, but others are threatened. Avon pulled the plug on its Global Women’s Series last year for financial reasons, staging the final Global 10K Championship in November. Hobbled by a limited budget, the event drew scant media attention despite the participation of superstar Loroupe. Though the New York Mini 10K remains an icon and draws a world-class field, overall participation numbers have been flat for the past several years.

The all-women races that do best are those linked to a women’s health fundraising cause, such as breast cancer (Race for the Cure), cardiovascular disease (Ryka’s Take Fitness to Heart series) and women’s cancers (Revlon Run/Walk for Women). Thus the emphasis has moved from promoting running for women, which is taken for granted, to promoting other women’s causes through running. It’s likely this trend will continue, fueled by millions of female participants themselves.

Looking Ahead

Will the fastest women continue to run faster, and will more and more of them take up racing and make it a part of their lives?

At the top, it’s tough to predict what lies ahead. At the moment, there’s no one clipping at Radcliffe’s heels on the world scene, and Drossin is far ahead of her closest American competitors. Many believe, though, that this will soon change. The critical mass of talent is there, and the women are inspired, not intimidated, by what those in front of them are doing. As a group, they are inspiring the next generation of female runners. Though the issues surrounding all-women races are not going away, it’s likely that both types of competition will continue to flourish and draw the world’s top talent.

The prospects are exciting for runners and fans. We’re lucky to be a part of it, and we owe it to ourselves and future generations of women runners to keep the momentum going.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Runner's World participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.